Farewell To Rustioni
Copyright Carrie Davenport
Article by Jane Coyle from The Even Hand
On 24 May, the Ulster Orchestra bade a lavishly fond farewell to its music director Daniele Rustioni, with a spectacular performance of one of the largest and most exhilarating symphonies ever written.
Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, is epic in every sense of the word, a dramatic, emotional outpouring around the composer’s reflection on the human condition, beginning with a sombre contemplation of death and climaxing with orchestra, soloists and chorus united in a spine-tingling hymn of resurrection. It was meticulously recreated in Maestro, Bradley Cooper’s biopic of conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein.
All around the Waterfront Hall auditorium – and on the performance platform – it was an emotional ‘ave atque vale’ to the Milan-born conductor, who, in 2019, after three guest appearances with the orchestra, was appointed its chief conductor, and, in 2022, was elevated to the role of music director. Dynamic and charismatic, Rustioni has just accepted a new role as music director laureate from next season, a commitment which will bring him back to Belfast on a regular basis.
He successfully confronted the challenge presented by …
